REVIEW: Bad Boy By Elliot Wake

Genre:

New Adult/ Contemporary Romance/ Psychological Thriller

Buy The Book:

AMAZON / B & N / KOBO / BD

Connect With The Author:

Blog / Twitter / GR

Summary On Goodreads:

Vlog star Renard Grant has nothing to prove: he’s got a pretty face, chiseled body, and two million adoring video subscribers. Plus the scars on his chest and a prescription for testosterone. Because Ren is transgender: assigned female at birth, living now as male. He films his transition and shares it bravely with the world; his fans love his honesty and positivity.

But Ren has been living a double life.

Off-camera, he’s Cane, the muscle-bound enforcer for social justice vigilante group Black Iris. As Cane, he lets his dark side loose. Hurts those who prey on the disempowered. Indulges in the ugly side of masculinity. And his new partner, Tamsin Baylor, is a girl as rough and relentless as him. Together, they terrorize the trolls into silence.

But when a routine Black Iris job goes south, Ren is put in the crosshairs. Someone is out to ruin his life. He’s a bad boy, they say, guilty of what he punishes others for.

Just like every other guy: at heart, he’s a monster, too.

Now Ren’s got everything to prove. He has to clear his name, and show the world he’s a good man. But that requires facing demons he’s locked away for years. And it might mean discovering he’s not such a good guy after all.

REVIEW

"An eye for an eye. I’d blind the whole world if I had to." 

Just as it was the case with Black Iris and Cam Girl, the last page of Bad Boy by Elliot Wake left me feeling emotionally drained and in urgent need of hugs, but as every emotional junkie/ masochist reader I'm addicted to this type of books. Books that make you feel and leave some profound impression on you.

First of all - before reading Bad Boy, I highly recommend reading Black Iris #1 and Cam Girl #2, because the stories and the characters are intertwined. Otherwise you'll feel out of the loop if you jump right on this one. Bad Boy is a story about Ren, one of the members of the vigilante group called Black Iris which is dedicted on getting revenge on those who have wronged women. But this is not your typical revenge story. The story is more complex and thoughtprovoking than that, where revenge only makes a small part of it. First and foremost, for me, it's a quite powerful and poignant story about everyday life and struggles of a transgender with the addition of gender and rape culture.

Without spoiling anything all I can say is that you should read Elliot Wake's books if not solely because of the writing which is outstanding. Whereas I adored Black Iris and Cam Girl and can't recommend them enough, when it comes to Bad Boy I'll have to agree with readers who said that the concept of the story was good, I liked it, but I wasn't exactly satisfied with the way the author concluded some situations. With this I refer especially to the ending which was in my opinion rushed and to some point anticlimatic. To sum it up- there were some parts I loved and then some not so much. That's why this time it's 3.5 stars.

Recommended to the fans of thoughtprovoking mindfucks!

“We’re all trapped by something. Freedom is an illusion. It’s the wind in your hair as you plummet off the cliff’s edge." 

RATING: 3.5 / 5 stars

xoxo,

Purple

REVIEW: He Will Be My Ruin by K.A. Tucker

Buy links:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Author links:

Website / Twitter

*** Summary ***

A woman who almost had it all . . .

On the surface, Celine Gonzalez had everything a twenty-eight-year-old woman could want: a one-bedroom apartment on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a job that (mostly) paid the bills, and an acceptance letter to the prestigious Hollingsworth Institute of Art, where she would finally live out her dream of becoming an antiques appraiser for a major auction house. All she had worked so hard to achieve was finally within her reach. So why would she kill herself?

A man who was supposed to be her salvation . . .

Maggie Sparkes arrives in New York City to pack up what’s left of her best friend’s belongings after a suicide that has left everyone stunned. The police have deemed the evidence conclusive: Celine got into bed, downed a lethal cocktail of pills and vodka, and never woke up. But when Maggie discovers a scandalous photograph in a lock box hidden in Celine’s apartment, she begins asking questions. Questions about the man Celine fell in love with. The man she never told anyone about, not even Maggie. The man Celine believed would change her life.

Until he became her ruin. 

On the hunt for evidence that will force the police to reopen the case, Maggie uncovers more than she bargained for about Celine’s private life—and inadvertently puts herself on the radar of a killer. A killer who will stop at nothing to keep his crimes undiscovered. 

*** Add on Goodreads ***

My Rating:

MY REVIEW

Money, sex, and murder in New York City. – if I had to make a tagline for this book, I’d use that. 

He Will Be My Ruin is my first book by K.A. Tucker (I DNFed Ten Tiny Breaths), however it sure won’t be my last. Tucker has plenty of books under her belt and it shows, her writing is phenomenal, I really can’t a find a fault with it. 

Moreover, if I’m not mistaken, Tucker is a NA writer, however this book is pure adult mystery and a very good one, in my humble opinion. 

The story follows Maggie Sparkes, heiress to Sparkes Energy empire, however she refuses to follow that career path and instead she does humanitarian work in Africa, having created her own nonprofit organization Villages United. I personally loved Maggie as a protagonist, she’s strong, independent, relentless, yet also vulnerable and a complete failure at espionage.  She comes to NYC and starts investigating her friend Celine’s suicide/murder, and she hires a PI – Doug, who quickly became one of my favorite characters. Soon, however, she discovers that Celine had an entirely different, hidden life and she begins to question everything and everyone!

The story is told through Maggie’s POV but there are some chapters told in Celine’s POV (as well as her diary entries) that lead us back to the past and illuminate certain events. I liked the pacing, there were also many twists and turns to the story – the story starts moving in one direction, then something happens and you no longer suspect that person, your attention is diverted elsewhere, but then all of a sudden you don’t know whom to trust anymore. 

There are actually only two suspects (at least only I suspected two persons), but still Tucker manages to keep you in suspense and in the dark. When I found out who the killer is, I literally had chills! 

Therefore, I don’t want to keep this review longer than it already is. With mystery books, I feel it best not to discuss anything too much. The novel was well-structured, the story and the characters felt real to me, it managed to surprise me and I’m looking forward to more from KA Tucker!

PS: sorry for all Jessica Jones gifs. 

xoxo, 

Beatrix

YA Thrillers Month: Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn

Buy links:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Author links:

Website / Twitter

Add on Goodreads

SUMMARY

From the Morris-Award winning author of Charm & Strange, comes a twisted and haunting tale about three teens uncovering dark secrets and even darker truths about themselves.

When nearly killing a classmate gets seventeen-year-old Sadie Su kicked out of her third boarding school in four years, she returns to her family’s California vineyard estate. Here, she’s meant to stay out of trouble. Here, she’s meant to do a lot of things. But it’s hard. She’s bored. And when Sadie’s bored, the only thing she likes is trouble.

Emerson Tate’s a poor boy living in a rich town, with his widowed mother and strange, haunted little brother. All he wants his senior year is to play basketball and make something happen with the girl of his dreams. That’s why Emerson’s not happy Sadie’s back. An old childhood friend, she knows his worst secrets. The things he longs to forget. The things she won’t ever let him.

Haunted is a good word for fifteen-year-old Miles Tate. Miles can see the future, after all. And he knows his vision of tragic violence at his school will come true, because his visions always do. That’s what he tells the new girl in town. The one who listens to him. The one who recognizes the darkness in his past. 

But can Miles stop the violence? Or has the future already been written? Maybe tragedy is his destiny. Maybe it’s all of theirs.

My rating:

REVIEW

The things that we love tell us what we are. – St. Thomas Aquinas

This book is weird as fuck. There’s no other way of putting it. Psychological thriller at its finest. Honestly, I’m not even sure what is this that I’d read, how to categorize it. It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure. Is it for teens? Honestly, I don’t know. Just because characters are teens, does not make a book YA. Yes, sure things are not that graphically described, but sometimes that vagueness makes it even more eerie. 

But there are some people who find comfort in discomfort. In knocking people out of their hamster wheels and setting them free onto the four-lane highway of reality. Look at Sartre. Look at Kierkegaard. Remember what he said? ‘The crowd is untruth.’ Kierkegaard knew. And people like that, like us, we’re the ones the hamsters should fear. Because other people’s fear, it kind of gets us off. 

The title says Delicate Monsters, but trust me, there’s nothing delicate about this book. Characters are the exact opposite of delicate. They’re flawed, disturbed, and utterly fascinating. We have Sadie, who was expelled from boarding school because she tried to kill her classmate. You can see right away, we’re working with crazy here. Then there’s Emerson, who seems pretty normal at first, but boy is he gonna prove you wrong. And finally, we have Miles, Emerson’s younger brother, who always seems to be getting sick. Makes you wonder, what’s wrong with him?! Well, by the end you find out, and it ain’t pretty. 

There was only so much ruin the mind could rationalize. There was only so much badness that could be suppressed for so long. His guilt, on its own, was utterly meaningless - just a showy type of magic that changed nothing because changing nothing was the endgame all along. 

The novel is incredibly well-written; it’s really short, but the story moves slowly, and everything sort of creeps up on you. When I started reading, things seemed normal, and I thought well, this is okay, nothing that disturbing thus far. But, really soon, characters begin to show their true colors. And whether or not you enjoy their ‘colors’ remains the biggest question. 

Sometimes to end things, you had to go back to the beginning. 

xoxo,

Beatrix

Pre-Release ARC REVIEW: Hidden Bodies (You #2) by Caroline Kepnes

Kindle Edition, 448 pages 

Expected publication: February 23rd 2016 by Atria/Emily Bestler Books 

Genre: Psychological Thriller/ Suspense 

Buy The Book: Book Depository / Amazon / Kobo / B & N

Connect With The Author:

Goodreads * FB * Twitter

Synopsis On GR: 

Charmingly murderous antihero Joe continues his twisted quest for the perfect love in this thrilling follow-up to the “deeply dark yet mesmerizing” You (Booklist). When Joe follows the woman he wants to marry to the West Coast, he never imagines that his obsession will lead him to such tragedy...

After the heartbreak of losing his girlfriend, Beck, Joe Goldberg thought he’d never love again. But when mysterious Amy Adam begins working for Joe at Mooney Books, he finds himself obsessed with his new employee. Amy is Beck’s opposite—she hates Twitter, she doesn’t even have an email address, she's completely unsearchable online—and she quickly captures Joe’s heart. But just before Joe can ask Amy to marry him, she disappears, leaving a trail of clues in her wake.

Joe is then forced to do something so vile, so awful that he nearly loses his mind: he moves to Los Angeles to find Amy. He is tortured by a series of aspiring Angelenos—an insufferable stand-up comedian, philistine booksellers, a money-hungry nanny, and a slutty ghostwriter—before meeting his ticket to a more luxurious world: a surgically enhanced, social media–savvy heiress named Love Quinn. But Joe can’t stop stalking Amy, despite the world opening up to him with Love on his arm. Will Joe finally escape his sordid past? Or is Love just the latest casualty in Joe’s unrelenting search for the perfect match? 

RATING: 4. 5 stars /5 stars

*** Spoiler-free REVIEW ***

People are most of the time oblivious to the power of the written word. They tend to forget that words are used to create, but also to destroy. They can be means to deeply hurt someone's feelings or make them smile. They have the power to virtually take us to places we have never been and make us kings, queens, models, rock stars, vampires, fairies etc. at least for a day. Or in this case they can take us in the head of a stalker, compulsive liar,  a true psycho and a killer- the MC of this book, Joe Goldberg and make us even like him, cheer for him or sympathaize with him, while in real life we would have never done that. That strong is the power of words. This story reminds us that some of the darkest and flawest minds hide behind pretty words and we aren't even aware of them until it's too late.

Dark, gripping, raw, suspenseful, entertaining and thoughtprovoking psychological thriller.

Anyone looking for a well-written, complex, but fascinating story from a pov of the villain, search no more and give a shot to this series. I liked the first book, BUT I loved this one. After the gory ending of You (You, #1) Joe's unfortunate and deadly search for love continues. Will he finally meet his true match this time or will his darkest secrets come to the surface and be his downfall? Buy the book and find out! I'm not going to talk about the plot, because, unlike some people, I don't want to spoil it for other readers who won't get to read it before February. All I'm going to say is that, despite his dark side, Joe is truely one of the most intriguing and comlex characters I've come across.

Caroline Kepnes, you got me both awed and a little scared by your devious way of story-telling. This is the third book I've added to my top-read-of-2015 GR shelf and it more than desreves it. Read it!

*** Check out Beatrix' and Purple's thoughts on You (You, #1) By Caroline Kepnes!

xoxo,

Purple

Review: You (You, #1) by Caroline Kepnes

Buy links:

Amazon * Kobo * B & N

Author links:

Goodreads * FB * Twitter

Add on Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY

When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.

There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.

As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.

MY REVIEW

Rating:

Solipsistic (adj.) overly concerned with one's own desires, needs, or interests

Joe, 

Since this book about you was very unique – basically it was unlike anything I’d read before; and also very special to me, I’ve decided to make my review a bit different as well, in honor to you. 

You were a real psycho, yet somehow you made me like you. Reading the Book of Joe (i.e. the novel You) was a unique experience, precisely because of you. I admire your creator, author Caroline Kepnes because I’m sure being in your head was no easy task. 

This book about you is written is second person, which I believe was the perfect choice, because first of all, it completely removes us – the readers; we are irrelevant, it’s all about you and your ‘darling’ Beck. Secondly, it gives us a sense intimacy and it further highlights your obsession with Beck. Just brilliant! Ms. Kepnes, well done! I know Joe you probably want to take all the credit here, but I have to acknowledge good writing when I see it. I’m sure you, as a fellow book lover would understand. 

Furthermore, I guess there were some parts that some readers might call tedious, because you described every minute detail regarding Beck’s life, and yes, that was strange because normal people don’t obsess about someone that much, nor do they stalk them, read their e-mails, harm their friends, etc. so it was at times overwhelming to read about how Beck basically invaded all of your thoughts. However, it was also necessary to portray all of that – to illustrate to which extent you were fixated on Beck. 

Moreover, now onto your favorite topic (after Beck, mind you!) – books. My favorite books are generally those whose genre is difficult to define. The same case is here. I really don’t know where I’d place you; you combine psychological thriller, social comedy, contemporary, with a little eroticism thrown in. And I guess that is why I liked you so much. 

Unusual, boundary-pushing, you were an overall likable psycho. I can’t wait to read about you again.

Until next time, 

Beatrix 

“The problem with books is that they end. They seduce you. They spread their legs to you and pull you inside. And you go deep and leave your possessions and your ties to the world at the door and you like it inside and you don't want for your possessions or your ties and then, the book evaporates.”

*********

*Read Purple's review of You here.*

xoxo,

Beatrix

Buddy-read REVIEWs: THE BLACK WOLF (In the Company of Killers, #5) By J. A. Redmerski

Genre:

Thriller/ Romantic Suspense

Buy The Book:

AMAZON 

Connect With The Author:

Website / Twitter / Goodreads

Synopsis On Goodreads:

Since devastating secrets were uncovered by Nora Kessler, Niklas Fleischer and Victor Faust have been divided as business partners and brothers. But ultimately Niklas is persuaded to lead a mission to Italy, and he sees it as an opportunity to set in motion forgiveness—or retribution—for his brother’s betrayal. 

The mission: play the role of a wealthy German investor and kidnap a beautiful, notorious madam named Francesca Moretti. No stranger to these types of roles, Niklas is the best man for the job, but this time the risks will be much greater as he will not be doing it alone. Izabel Seyfried, still fresh out of a life of imprisonment and sex slavery, could be negatively affected by the things she will see in Moretti’s mansion, and Niklas must keep her in line so she does not blow their cover and get them killed.

But Niklas isn’t the only one who must play a role—Nora takes on the humiliating task of playing Niklas’s slave, and Izabel must play the role of his lover.

On one hand, Niklas couldn’t be enjoying himself more. On the other hand, the emotions that continue to rage inside of him may be too much for him to control, and it may be Niklas—not Izabel—who needs to be kept in line. He cannot forget what Victor has done, and this mission may just be the beginning of his downward spiral.

Can the blood bond that Niklas and Victor share as brothers be stronger than resentment? Or will vengeance dig the blade so deep that their bond be eternally severed?

PURPLE'S RATING: 5/5 STARS

BEATRIX' RATING: 5/5 STARS 

*** REVIEW ***

Purple:

After the brilliant previous installment- Seeds of Iniquity (ItCoK, #4) I was positive that there was no way I could love this book as much as I did that one, BUT I was wrong. Niklas was not among my favorite characters. As the matter of fact I was quite annoyed with him until the previous two books because of the *thing* he did in the 1st one and his rather superior/macho attitude, but now we all know the cold front he puts up is only an act and that he can be quite charming when he wants it and add to that very, very sexy. Together with Fredrik and Nora he is now without a doubt one of my fav characters in the series.

"Niklas wanted freedom; he has always wanted to be his own person, play by his own rules, live by his own standards, and not in the shoes or the shadows or beneath the gavel or the whip of anyone else."

The story was dark, gripping, action-packed, suspenseful and twisted with some unexpected and jaw-dropping twists as always. J. R. Redmerski keeps mindfucking us messing with our heads and in the best possible way. Our dearest rogue agents are at it again- on another undercover case in Italy trying to solve one of their most dangerous cases so far.  The undercover trio was so bad-ass and the villian and her devious plans so fucked-up. I won't say anything else about the plot, except that it was spectacular.

And the ending? Oh. My...I'm still trying to process what had happened. I don't know what to think, what to feel and I definitely don't know what to expect from the next installment. I have billions theories of the possible outcomes, some of which I fear greatly and truely hope the author doesn't take the story in that direction. J. A. Redmerski, I trust your judgement, just DO NOT turn this into one of those melodramatic love triangles, I beg you!

All in all- I'm in love with this series! This is my 2nd favorite installment and my third 5 stars rating so far this year and damn well-deserved. I'll be crossing days until the next one.

“To be human means to always go with your heart. The moment you betray your heart is the moment you lose everything.”

Highly recommended to every fan of dark, romantic and suspenseful thrillers  and fans of TV shows  like Nikita. This series is a must-read!


Beatrix:

I can honestly say that with each new book In The Company of Killers series gets better and better. This series is dark, suspenseful, characters and relationships between them are so complex.

I wanted a book about Niklas since forever (okay, since book #1 – I was always curious about him and I thought there’s more to him than what he showed to the world). And now we finally got it and it was everything I wanted and more. If you’re already a fan of this series, and you approved of the direction things took in Seeds of Iniquity, you’re gonna love this! 

Anyhow, this time around, the main story revolves around Niklas, Izabel and Nora, on a mission in Italy. I don’t want to spoil anything about that, I’ll just say it was exciting, gripping, bloody and just overall, amazing. After five books, I don’t doubt J. A. Redmerski; wherever she decided to go with the plot, I’m on board. This has become one of my favorite series, precisely because it’s unpredictable and unconventional.

This particular installment picks up where things left off in the last book – Niklas is hurt over Viktor’s betrayal and nowhere to be found; and Nora is the new addition to their Order. Since her introduction in the last book, I loved Nora. She’s so badass and great, and I only wish she had a bigger role in this book. (There’s a lot we don’t know about her yet, but I’m hoping it’ll be remedied in the next book.)

Furthermore, these characters are what do it for me in this series. Now, in the book #5 we feel like we know them (I’ve personally grown so attached to them), but in fact every one of them is hiding something and we’re on our toes to know everything about them. 

Finally, the reason why this book was so bloody awesome is that ending! Whoa! What happens next is the big question. I was buddy-reading this with my dear Purple and we have SO many theories. Also, while she’s very against a love triangle, I can honestly say I wouldn’t mind it. But, I guess we shall see. 

***

My favorite Killer in this part: Niklas, obviously.

My least favorite Killer in this part: I love them all.

I particularly liked: Niklas – Izabel dynamics.

I didn’t like the fact that there was so little of Nora. With Fredrik and Niklas, she’s my favorite character and I wish she had a bigger role.

I hope that the next book features more Fredrik. (I miss him!!)

Book #6 I want more than any other book right now! I’m both anxious and eager. Hurry up please, JA we’re dying here!

xoxo,

Purple & Beatrix

REVIEW: Black Iris By Leah Raeder

Genre:

Thriller/ Contemporary / Romance

Buy The Book:

AMAZON / B & N / BOOK DEPOSITORY / KOBO

Connect With The Author:

Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / Blog

Synopsis On Goodreads:

The next dark and sexy romantic suspense novel from the USA Todaybestselling author of Unteachable.

It only took one moment of weakness for Laney Keating’s world to fall apart. One stupid gesture for a hopeless crush. Then the rumors began. Slut, they called her. Queer. Psycho. Mentally ill, messed up, so messed up even her own mother decided she wasn't worth sticking around for.

If Laney could erase that whole year, she would. College is her chance to start with a clean slate.

She's not looking for new friends, but they find her: charming, handsome Armin, the only guy patient enough to work through her thorny defenses—and fiery, filterless Blythe, the bad girl and partner in crime who has thorns of her own.

But Laney knows nothing good ever lasts. When a ghost from her past resurfaces—the bully who broke her down completely—she decides it's time to live up to her own legend. And Armin and Blythe are going to help.

Which was the plan all along.

Because the rumors are true. Every single one. And Laney is going to show them just how true.

She's going to show them all.

Purple's RATING: 5/5 STARS

Beatrix' RATING: 5/5 STARS
Glass' RATING: 5/5 STARS

*** Buddy-read REVIEWS ***

~ Purple:

“I am not the heroine of this story. And I'm not trying to be cute. It's the truth. I'm diagnosed borderline and seriously fucked-up. I hold grudges. I bottle my hate until it ferments into poison, and then I get high off the fumes.”

I've read a fair share of good books this year, but this is only the 2nd one I've rated full 5 stars and it more than deserves it because for me it's on a totally another, I would even dare to say superior level from the the rest of them. My first book by this author was Unteachable. While I loved the author's writing style there, the story as a whole was more of a 3.5/4 stars read for me, but with this book Leah Raeder won me completely over. And what better way to read her newest book than buddy-reading it with my friend & co-blogger Beatrix, who was also the one who first introduced me to this author.

"I never wanted to be saved. I wanted someone to follow me down into the darkness. To hold my hand as I fell."

Without spoiling anything all I can say is that Black Iris is one dark, gripping, twisted, riveting, poignant, thought-provoking page-turner which will leave you speechless after every new unpredictable twist of the story. What's special and compelling about this book is the fact that the main character Laney is nor the heroine nor the true villain. The lines between good and evil get blurred and disputable, at times over-weighing on one and at other times on the other side, therefore messing with our heads all over again and of course I loved it, the weirdo that I am.

This book was so good that not the even infamous "love triangle", which is usually a deal-breaker for me when choosing my next read, bothered me. That says it all. I won't say anything more about the plot, because when it comes to mindfucks like this the best way is to experience it without any prior knowledge. The writing was supreme. One of the most highlighted books in my collection.

Highly recommended to every fan of dark thrillers/mindfucks!

“Strength is not in the body, it’s in the mind. It doesn’t lie in flexing your muscles and crushing those who oppose you. It lies in being the last one standing. By any means. At any cost.”

~Beatrix:

“Darkness isn’t bad. It’s only darkness.” Those fingers relaxed. “All it means is you don’t see the world as they do. You see what’s really there. They see what they wish was there.”

Revenge. Suspense. Ecstasy. Sex. 

BLACK IRIS was my most anticipated book of 2015, and it did not disappoint. That’s saying a lot since I’m a huge fan of Leah Raeder and I’ve been craving this book basically since I’ve read Unteachable back in 2013 when it was first published. In my opinion Raeder is a true artist when it comes to the art of words. I feel as if she sees the world with different eyes and then transforms that onto the page and gives us her more poetic, vivid, and colorful version of reality. Here’s a paragraph to illustrate what I’m saying: 

I smelled the storm on him. There’s a word for that scent, the breathy fragrance that’s released when rain soaks soil and floods your sinuses like a drug: petrichor. Petros, stone. Ichor, the blood of gods. There was a disturbing loveliness in that image, gods opening their wrists to slake the earth with their quicksilver blood.

This is the kind of novel which will definitely make you question everything. Not only will you constantly be on the edge of your seat with questions such as: what is happening; but this book will also make you question your beliefs and morals. Characters in this book are constantly doing some morally ambiguous acts and let’s just say this is not for those of tender heart. If you’re bothered with excessive drinking and drug abuse, F/F sex, revenge, cheating, love triangles, unlikeable protagonists – then this book might not be for you. 

Don’t expect a typical NA story, or a morally encouraging book. However, what you can and should expect is an incredibly well written and important book, with its message about labeling, sexual fluidity, bullying, and mental illness. 

Something ineffably sad rose in my chest, a drowning feeling, as if my lungs were filling with water from the inside. My hand raised but not touching. My voice unheard. I’d spent all my life in moments like this.

Nothing here was black and white. These characters are so complex and my attitude towards them was ambivalent. I didn’t like Laney, but I understood her. Furthermore, she is not meant to be a role model, nor is she trying to be one. BI is unapologetic and that’s why I like it. Characters are entirely messed up and they’re not trying to hide it. Laney is not attempting to set an example with her behavior. She does what she wants and if you don’t like it, then she’s probably tell you: “Screw you, I’m not trying to impress anyone.”

I’m saying this because I’ve noticed how some negative reviews state that Laney sets a bad example for young girls with her drinking, sleeping around, and basically being high the entire duration of the novel. If you’re so sensitive, then don’t read this. And you’ve probably missed the point as it’s stated right on the first page what kind of novel this would be. This is not the story with a typical HEA; don’t expect a heroine to overcome her issues. This is a dark and twisted story and that’s why it’s so unique.

Furthermore, a few words on the writing style and a quick comparison with Unteachable. Obviously both books are written in the same lyrical, purple tone and if I’m being completely honest I have to admit that maybe, just maybe this style was more suitable for UN and the reason for that is the genre. 

UN is first and foremost a romance novel – it explored emotions, maturing, growing up, love, etc. However, BI proclaims itself to be a suspense novel and I believe it’s difficult to build up tension with adjectives. You need lots of dynamic verbs, descriptions of processes, not states. That taken together with switching timelines, I can see how some readers were lost or found the book to be too slow. I personally was not bothered by that, and I’ve raved enough how I love Raeder’s writing style, but I can understand some of the frustration I’ve noticed in several reviews.

Some of the things I've loved: the sex scenes. Hot damn. This is how you write steamy. Nothing overly vulgar, but so poetic and sizzling hot. Moreover, let’s not forget the poetry. T. S. Eliot, Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson are some of my favorite poets and it made me so giddy to recognize all the references. I truly think BI wouldn’t have been the same without it. 

In conclusion, BLACK IRIS is at its core a powerful story which explores the darkness within a person, triggered by someone else’s darkness. It portrays how one act of violence may initiate entire chain of such deeds and how a person may end up trapped in that vicious circle. Have you ever been bullied, misunderstood, and rejected for who you are? Sometimes it’s difficult for a person to see the light, sometimes a person is so weakened, tormented by their own demons that it’s easier to drown than to swim back to the surface. 

Leah Raeder wrote a book for anyone who has ever felt that way. She is the voice of the downtrodden, of the underdog. It’s okay to feel malice and rage, those too are human emotions. Therefore, what I’m saying is – don’t expect a redemption story. But, if you do prefer dark, challenging, and gritty stories, then BLACK IRIS might be just the right book for you! 

I’m the black iris watered by poison. The wolf that raised its head among sheep and devoured its way, ruthless and bloody, to freedom. I never forgave, never forgot.

PS: I’ve found the song which perfectly fits the book, with its lyrics and overall atmosphere -- Sick by Chelsea Wolfe: 

This suffering brings me closer to you

And time is broken and moves slow

Your pure heart, your white light

I should be put to death for ever being cruel to you

…

Come closer now and step right into

The wide mouth, the sharp teeth of the one you love

I’m not the kind of sick that you can fix

Don't you worry about me baby 

xoxo, 

Purple & Beatrix